History of Rick Scott’s business practices, politics and tactics

Governor Rick Scott has never liked to answer questions, and as he runs for governor of Florida, he will try to avoid them whenever possible. He has always been a corrupt businessman who broke the law, but he has never been prosecuted. Some probably think he knows how to bend the law, and he pleaded the fifth no fewer than 75 times at his investigation.

His company pleaded guilty to 14 corporate felonies and agreed to pay $1.7 billion in fines. It was the largest penalty a company has ever had to pay for Medicare fraud, but Scott the CEO was allowed to walk away free. Scott was also charged with insider trading, but again he was able to walk free.

Scott is very slippery when it’s his time to answer a question. During his two hour investigation, Scott gave answers like, “I’m not sure I understand, or I don’t recall.” Our governor has never told the truth when he answered questions during his investigation, and how can we expect him to tell the truth as our governor.

In 2009, when Scott decided to run for governor, he decided to use his own money, and his backing would come from the Tea Party. The Tea Party was the extreme and radical arm of the Republican Party, and Scott used this to his advantage. Florida is the Deep South, and Scott was able to use the anger of the conservatives and Republicans to win the election by 60,000 votes.

Even though Scott won only by 60,000 votes, he operated his office as if he had a mandate from the people of the state. He turned down a federal gift, where the government would pay 90 percent of a high speed rail, and the state would receive $2.4 billion. Everyone in the state knew this made no sense, because this would bring hundreds of jobs, but Scott was trying to make a point that Florida did not need the federal government.

In our governor’s first year he was sued five times, and he cut the school budget by $1.3 billion. He eliminated pension for state workers, raised the fees for colleges and universities, and was voted the most disliked governor in the country. He sold state aircraft, so he can use his personal jet, and overhauled an education bill where new teachers receive no more than one year contract, and tied the performance of students on exams for new teachers pay raises.

Scott also initiated his plan to privatize prisons in the state, where DOC is now being investigated for the murder of prisoners. Again, when a question is asked about the murder of prisoners, or the condition of Florida prisons, our governor or his administration has nothing to say.

For nine months our state had no Lieutenant Governor, because Jennifer Carroll was forced to resign after she was linked to a gambling operation. For the past three and a half years, Scott has had a revolving staff leadership door, where he had three Education Commissioners and changes in every high level position.

How could we forget the 2012 election debacle where Florida was embarrassed on national and international news, because it took the state three days to count the ballots? Scott wasted taxpayers’ money by ordering a purge of voter rolls that went nowhere, and he tried to set up barriers from keeping Blacks and Hispanics from voting.

Finally, there is the Stand Your Ground Law where Trayvon Martin was killed in cold blood, and nothing has been done to change or repeal the law. There have been sit-ins in the governor’s office and I hope that Floridians do not forget on voting day, that Scott is robbing our state, by giving his friends lucrative contracts. Scott has been a disgrace and disaster for working class and middle class Floridians, and it is time for the people to take back their state, by voting Scott out.